Yep, France has bedbugs, too.

[JAL]

Just walked the Chemin de St. Jacques from Le Puy to St. Jean. Got bitten by bedbugs several times. I know they were bedbugs because I caught one. Oddly, about halfway through, I stopped getting bitten and had no further problems. The only thing I did differently was after shaking EVERYTHING out really well, I was more careful about not setting my pack on the floor if at all possible, putting it on a chair if there was one free, hanging it on a post, or placing it on a shelf. Kept it zipped up as much as possible.

I still bagged everything when I got home; clothes, shoes, pack, etc and took them to a meat locker to freeze for four days.

 

[Rebekah Scott]

The Spaniards say the bedbugs come here from France.

 

[Tincatinker]

Well they would Reb wouldn't they. One thing is for certain, the little buggers don't walk the camino themselves.

 

[Kanga]

You can always identify the French bedbugs. They prefer their flesh raw.

 

[Deleted member 3000]

The French are obsessed with bed bug control. It doesn't stop them!!!

 

[Seabird]

You can always identify the French bedbugs. They prefer their flesh raw.

And with a little sauce.

 

[Deborah Kostisin]

France is the only place I experienced bed bugs. I found the private homes and farms were very clean and expensive for a pilgrim's pocket, although I clearly can justify the price that has to be charged. It was the real hostels, outside of train stations, in towns that were infested. I guess if I were giving advise I would say don't stay in pilgrim rated hostels or youth hostels if you don't want to experience the bugs. You have to pay the price of a Gite or B&B if it matters to you.

As much as I liked the Chemin it never felt like a pilgrimage just a lovely walk through beautiful countryside. Staying in B&B's mostly, not having any of the camaraderie of a pilgrimage. It is mostly a sporting activity for the people who walk it, enjoying the beauty of their country. I felt more like a tourist on the Chemin than I did in Spain or in Italy. The hostel keepers were people who open their homes to walkers and share a meal with them. I found it lovely that each home would prepare a very traditional dish of the region and give a bit of history of the area to its guests. Although I don't speak a word of French an their was no english or spanish spoken in France I always felt that I was included as much as possible. The bed bugs didn't discriminate against my yankee flesh either, they dug right in, and for one night I did truly feel like an ancient pilgrim.

 

[pudgypilgrim]

As much as I liked the Chemin it never felt like a pilgrimage just a lovely walk through beautiful countryside. Staying in B&B's mostly, not having any of the camaraderie of a pilgrimage. It is mostly a sporting activity for the people who walk it, enjoying the beauty of their country

Interesting that you say this. I started from Paris in Sept and only made it to Cloyes-sur-le-Loir before a broken foot sent me home, but I always felt like a pilgrim, and possibly more so than I would on a route like the Frances, which I have not walked. All the pilgrims I met were definitely walking for religious reasons, and it was totally assumed by the locals with whom I conversed that the only reason to be out doing this was religious/spiritual.

I can readily believe that it may be different on the more popular routes in France.

No bedbugs where I stayed, but I realize that just like with a hotel, it's the luck of the draw these days.

 

[vegoodrich]

Ick!!!! I'll be honest that coming from a camping/tenting background the bedbug possibility of the Camino Frances was the only thing that really got me worried Luckily I escaped untouched this time. Fingers crossed for future luck in this area.

 

[alhartman]

With something like 300 nights in albergues, gites, and hotels in France and Spain, I have been bitten 4 times--all in France; twice in hotels, once in a gite, once in a monastery. And have seen chinches three times in Spain. The French innkeepers are much more rigid and careful at preventing infestations. Also bit once in NYC and several times in SFO. The critters are everywhere. I use permethrin on my pack and bags when traveling so I don't become one of the vectors. While their bites are mildly annoying, for me, it is nothing compared to the mosquitoes on the Pacific Crest Trail that in high season match me pound for pound.